Shaw, Lallana, Lambert and Rodriguez are Saints success stories... Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs and the rest should follow Southampton's lead and go for full English

The following batch of players from Southampton all joined up with various England squads at the start of the week: Luke Shaw. Adam Lallana. Jay Rodriguez. Rickie Lambert. James Ward-Prowse. Calum Chambers. Matt Targett. Harrison Reed. Sam Gallagher.

Maybe Nicola Cortese wasn’t such a bad guy after all.

It is not an accident that those nine players all come from the same football club. They are the pride of Southampton.

VIDEO: Scroll down for Adam Lallana heaps praise on team-mates Rodriguez and Shaw

On Wednesday evening, when England play Denmark at Wembley, Southampton could yet have four players on the pitch.

It is a remarkable story and one that many Barclays Premier League clubs would do well to emulate.

The recruitment of English players was a very deliberate strategy by Cortese, who until recently was the executive chairman at one of the most progressive clubs in the top-flight.

He believed that, as the corporate figurehead for a leading Premier League team, he had a responsibility to nourish the national team.

It is an approach similar to Sir John Hall’s dream to ‘play 11 Geordies’ when he was the chairman of Newcastle United. He almost got there, too.

Back in 1994-95, just as things were really starting to get going at St James’ Park under Kevin Keegan, they had a number of local lads pulling on the black and white stripes.

Peter Beardsley, Lee Clark, Steve Howey, Steve Watson, Robbie Elliott and Paul Kitson were all born nearby. Barry Venison, born in Consett in County Durham, was an adopted Geordie by the time Keegan brought him into the team.

There was a spirit about that Newcastle team, an unquenchable thirst about them as they went on to tussle with Manchester United for the Premier League title.

Nearly two decades on, Cortese had a similar philosophy at Southampton.

He was convinced it was healthy to bring in players who could qualify and have the ambition, the drive and desire to play for the England team.

If Cortese had his way, Southampton would have fielded a team full of Englishmen by the time his work at St Mary’s was done.

He was on his way. In his last game before he resigned, which was a 1-0 victory over West Brom on January 11, Mauricio Pochettino started the game with six: Nathaniel Clyne, Shaw, Jack Cork, Lallana, Lambert and Rodriguez. On the bench there were three more: goalkeeper Kelvin Davis, Gallagher and Ward-Prowse.

Chambers, who is with England’s Under 19 squad this week, was missing from the Premier League clash with West Brom through injury.

Soon enough he will progress into Gareth Southgate’s Under 21 team and then the full squad. It is only a matter of time for a player of his unquestionable potential.

At the Southampton academy, where work is taking shape on the multi-million pound training projected initiated by Cortese, there is a production line of English talent.

Lallana man: The Southampton skipper (right) made his international debut against Chile in November

Jay more than OK: Rodriguez (left) also made his England bow against Chile

Trailblazer: Lambert scores on his international debut against Scotland in August

At Southampton they deliberately promote young, English talent and give them the stage to prove they can live with the foreign talent that pours into the country.

But this is not just down to Cortese. Behind the scenes, former Southampton defender Jason Dodd and Paul Williams, who played in the 2003 FA Cup final against Arsenal at the Millennium Stadium, work tirelessly.

They are rarely mentioned, but they have become a crucial part of the Southampton success story over the past few years.

The future is a little more uncertain after the departure of Cortese, but at least England are getting the benefits.